Following the coordinates Garrick gave him took Din 2 days to travel to Llanic. As soon as their handshake deal was arranged, Garrick sent Din ahead of the yacht with the promise he'd send word to his people that Din was coming. He had never heard of the planet before, but given its proximity to the vast smugglers routes that spanned the outer rim that was of little surprise. The smuggler ports for the most lucrative smuggling lanes were kept fairly secret. Known only to those who knew how to look for them. Din wasn't expecting much more than a shady hole in the wall of a planet with Garrick's compound rivaling Mos Eisley for a seedy smugglers' port.

What Garrick conveniently forgot to mention about the smuggler routes flanking the planet weren't for normal contraband, but Spice trade. Upon discovering this, Din was half tempted to turn around and forget his deal with Garrick.

No wonder Garrick had stumbled into so much money over the last few years if he was involved in Spice running. The Mistress' quip about Garrick Sha becoming an honorable name made more sense to him now. Few of the businessmen who actually profited off of the Spice trade had an honorable bone in his body. Din had known Garrick was a manipulator and general scum when they both worked with Ran. But even Ran kept his nose out of the Spice trade. General mayhem was fine enough to satisfy Ran as long as there was profit in it. But Spice running had too many heavy hitters with connections to the Hutt Cartels.

What Din found when he descended into Llanic's airspace matched nothing of the shady port his mind had conjured. Din was met with a massive, sprawling city that seemed to encompass half a continent. Even from kilometers above the city, Din could see the gigantic city's wealth was on par with that of the Mid-rim and Core worlds of the New Republic. This wasn't some seedy backwater smuggler outpost. It was a metropolis the likes of which Din had only seen a few times on his visits to Corelia and Coruscant.

Startled by this discovery, Din bolted upright from his seat and began using the Razorcrest's extranet to search for a guild presence on the planet.

"Dammit, Garrick." Din huffed when he saw there was decent sized guild hub located somewhere in the city. Immediately, he hailed Garrick's yacht. The massive ship was most likely still in a hyperjump, impossible to reach, but Din had to try. Had to chew Garrick out for the possible trap he had been lured into. By some miracle, Garrick's face showed up on the holo.

"Mando." Garrick greeted jovially. "Made it to Llanic yet?"

"There's a few things you forgot to mention." Din hissed, audibly annoyed by his new employer.

"Oh?" Garrick came off as genuinely confused.

"The guild is here."

"It's a small hub. Nothing to worry about." He waved his hand dismissively.

"So, you knew?"

"You have my guarantee, as long as you're planetside, you'll be perfectly safe."

"Your guarantee means less and less by the minute." Din growled into the comms.

"Fair. But, you'll be docked in my personal hangers in my compound. Which doesn't register arrivals and departures with the rest of the city's docking authority. Ok? No one outside the compound will know you or your ship is on Llanic. And I have the loyalty of the people inside the compound. I promise, Mando. You will be perfectly safe while under my employ." Garrick paused momentarily, waiting for Din to make some kind of comment. When he was met with silence, Garrick added, "My steward and head of security are expecting you and will meet you on at the dock. they'll brief you on security protocols and my wife's schedule."

Garrick's image cut out. He hadn't exactly eased Din's apprehension, but Din stayed on course to Garrick's compound.

Deciding to stay on course to Llanic and hold up his end of the deal was hard to make. But the money was just too good. Two weeks alone would get him 120,000 credits. Which would keep for a while given his sparse lifestyle. Despite the warning bells in his mind telling him this was a bad idea, he began landing procedures.

Behind him, the child babbled incoherently but Din knew he sensed the shift in Din's mood.

"It will be fine." He said to himself as much as to the kid. Shifting the seat so he could watch the kid, Din couldn't help but smile gently at the small creature. It was impossible for the child to see Din's smile, but he smirked back at Din all the same.

"Eh?" The child grunted, showing Din the ball in his hand.

"Yeah, that's a ball." Din took the small ball from the child's outstretched hand. Whining like Din was playing wrong, the child impatiently held out his tiny hand for the ball back. Din acquiesced, giving the ball back. Again, the child thrust the ball out toward Din.

"I don't know what you want me to do." He admitted after a moment of confusion. The kid stared at him with wide eyes that seemed to study Din's helmeted face. Finally realizing he wasn't getting through to Din, the child retracted his arm and began chewing on the ball again.

Attention turned back on the viewscreen, Din watched Garrick's compound come into view. The massive complex was walled off from the rest of the city. The main gate stood well over 30 meters with the walls coming close to that. Inside the walls were three buildings. The largest was undoubtably the palace built by imperial hands with its large ziggurat like structure flanked on all sides by large pillars. The zenith of the palace extended into a long, slender spire that was taller than nearly all of the other buildings and skyscrapers in the city. In the years since the buildings' liberation from Imperial control, a large garden consisting of a forest of massive trees that flanked a hidden hedge maze had been cultivated on the northern and eastern sides of the palace. In the center of the maze was a kaleidoscopic flower garden that was only visible from the air. The amount of color that radiated from the hidden garden was striking in its beauty. Most of the plants Din knew of were medicinal in nature, none of which were as eye catching and beautiful as the vast assortment of flowers below him now.

The south of the estate house security control and barracks. On the western side of the palace lay a large, open arena – a training ground of some sort where a few of the security forces seemed to be in the midst of target practice. As soon as the Razorcrest flew overhead and into their airspace, the blaster fire went cold so a misfire wouldn't catch the ship. Just passed the training grounds were the private docks and hanger bay storage.

Landing the Razorcrest went smoothly. He was expected, as Garrick said he would be, and was ushered to the furthest dock from the palace. Convincing the child to get into his bassinet was another matter entirely.

Despite it being one of the easiest landings Din had managed in a long while, setting down seemed to make the child fussy and he didn't particularly feel like being cramped in his pod for the foreseeable future without putting up a fight. Din was quickly learning he had to pick his battles when the kid got in a stubborn mood and right now it wasn't worth it. He could only imagine what the steward and security officer he was meant to meet would think if their first impression of him was a father struggling to control a toddler. How could they expect him to maintain control over their Mistress' wellbeing if he couldn't even get a toddler to sit still? So, the kid got to walk out of the ship behind Din.

"Stay close and don't wander off." He warned the child before lowering the docking ramp. Standing at the base of the ramp was a slender Twi'lek man with the longest set of lekku Din had ever seen. He wore simple, muted cloths but the way all of the dockworkers skirted around him and the air he held himself with told Din the Twi'lek was a man of importance in the compound. The yellow-orange Twi'lek bowed his head in greeting.

"The Master said to expect you. I am Jeca, palace steward." Jeca motioned for Din to follow before adding "It is a long walk. Perhaps your… pet should remain on the ship." He looked down at the child with an air of disgust.

"Just lead on." Din swept the child up in his arms to rest against his hip. The kid gave a weak protest to being carried, but relented as they made their way out of the hanger.

"Security is based in that building." Jeca pointed a boney finger at the building Din had figured to be security. "That was to be your home while under the Master's employ. But I've been informed you are to be given special treatment." While Jeca's voice was snide and unpleasant, there was an air of derisiveness to him that kept Din's hackles on edge. Jeca did not approve of Din's presence, and while he would never go against his master's orders, he would make it abundantly clear that Din was unwanted. "Your guest suite is adjacent to the Mistress' quarters in her private wing. Usually, only women and children are allowed in the Mistress' chambers, but you have been given leave to enter her rooms – only when she is veiled." Jeca turned on Din to emphasize his point.

"Is this the cultural norm on Llanic?" Din stood his ground, unphased by Jeca's sudden movement.

"For married women in positions of power, Yes." Jeca turned back around to resume walking toward the palace. They passed through the training grounds were only a few of the security guards remained. One man was still at blaster target practice while a few others sparred far enough away from the blaster fire not to be shot. Once past the training grounds, Jeca turned to enter the ziggurat from the south side.

"Chief security officer, Denesha, will be joining us once you have settled. She will brief you on security protocols. Although, I will admit, the Mistress' day-to-day schedule does not change much. But protocol is protocol." He stated entering the large palace. It was clear that the southern entrance was a staff entrance. There was very little in the way of grandeur that Din assumed the palace would house because it was for staff not family. The pair passed by what appeared to be kitchens, a small security hub, and staff quarters before turning down a drab hall towards a lift. Jeca ushered Din inside before pressing the button for the uppermost floor. "Tomorrow will be an important day. Not just because of the Master's return."

"How long has Garrick been away?"

"The Master has been traveling for the last three months on business." Jeca replied, emphasizing Garrick's title, trying to subtly allude that Din was expected to address Garrick as such. Even if Garrick demanded it, Din would do no such thing. He would not allow either Garrick or this Mistress to treat him like their slave.

"Tomorrow evening, the Master will be hosting a dinner for an honored guest. When you speak with Denesha, she will brief you on how to handle the Mistress during political or business meetings."

"Is this guest a politician or here on business?"

"A businessman. He comes to discuss a merger. It will be a busy day to prepare and the Master is already behind schedule to return."

"This entire floor is the Mistress' wing." Jeca announced as the lift doors opened to reveal a long hallway. "Her guests are allowed among these rooms." Jeca's long, boney hands nonchalantly waved to the numerous doors that flanked either side of the hall. At the very end of the hall was a large set of foreboding blast doors. "Those are the Mistress' private chambers." Jeca sighed as they stopped just outside the chamber. He opened the guest suite just outside of the blast doors and ushered Din inside. The suite consisted of a large main room designed both as bedroom and living space and a rather large bathroom.

While Din had not seen the other sectors of the palace, the Mistress' wing was not what he was expecting. Garrick's yacht had been decorated with nothing but opulence in mind. Every inch of that ship was decorated to boast of and show off the vast amount of wealth he had accrued. To a garish degree. Even the Mistress dressed the part in that lavish blood-red silk dress. But her wing was tastefully decorated. The walls weren't covered in expensive art that seemed to war with one another for attention. But one statement piece next to the door to his suite that drew his attention in automatically. His bedroom was filled with furniture that was obviously expensive but only because it appeared to be hand crafted by a master woodworker. The fabrics that lined his furniture were plush and comfortable, but served their purpose without being distracting. Din liked this space in its near utilitarian design.

Jeca strode to the far end of the suite where a security console lit up upon their entry.

"Denesha will go over things in more detail. But she has given you access to the security feeds on this floor, the lift, and exterior walls on this level." He pressed a button to show all of the active feeds Din would have access to.

"How many cameras?"

"That is a question for Denesha."

"How many rooms are in the Mistress' chambers?"

Jeca stiffened at Din's question. The Twi'lek's distaste for Din's future proximity to the Mistress became palpable. Din waited for Jeca to answer, staring at the slender man and unwilling to have to explain himself or his need for information if he was to do his job properly.

Exasperated, Jeca sighed. "Six. A sitting room, bedroom, wardrobe, bath, the nursery, and quarters for Tabór."

"Tabór?"

"The Mistress' handmaid."

"I was under the impression she has eight handmaids."

"She has eight attendants. Tabór is first among them."

"Do the others reside in the city?"

"No. They reside in the slave quarters on the lower levels."

"How many slaves are there?"

"Most household staff, myself, the Mistress' attendants, and -" Jeca cut himself off. A strange look snaked quickly across his face, as if he was scared to say anything more.

"And?"

"20 total."

"Does that include security?"

"No. But the Master and Denesha keep security on a tight leash."

"And when will I meet Denesha?"

"Does now work?" A voice asked from a few meters behind Din. He spun on his heel to see a rather small, unimposing human woman had snuck up behind him – both impressed and shocked by her ability to catch him unaware. She took another step forward to greet him.

"Denesha Lavere, at your service." Din nodded in acknowledgement. She proved to be a good natured and humorous woman as she showed Din around the security compound; informing him of schedules, guard rotations, and the various measures Garrick took to secure the compound.

"Have you heard these threats against the Mistress? Who has been making them? How serious they are?" Din asked once they left the security building and were headed back to the Razorcrest for Din to unload whatever equipment he wanted with him in his suite.

"Honestly, I hadn't heard of any chatter until a few weeks ago when Garrick invited Kaltho to discuss a business merger. As soon as that invitation went out, suddenly she's a target. And well… the estate has never gone out of its way to advertise that Garrick is married. We didn't think anyone really knew about her."

"Who is this Kaltho?"

"A moderately important businessman. Has some New Republic connections that Garrick wants to get an in with. He's the one the dinner is for tomorrow night.

"Do you have any names of whose been making threats? Know who has been most vocal?"

"Most are just some mid-level spice runners that are feeling threatened by Garrick's operations. But we know better than to just dismiss them outright. Hence why you're here."

"What can you tell me about her?"

"I'm not really the one to ask." Denesha admitted. "She keeps mainly to herself and her attendants. Spends a lot of her time in the gardens on the other side of the palace. From what I can tell, she likes her space and the quiet. Rumor has it she's a freed slave, though."

"Really?" Din asked incredulously.

"I don't know the whole story, but rumor is Garrick freed her not too long after he liberated this place. She's been 'the Mistress' ever since."

"Does everyone call her 'Mistress'?"

"As far as I know, no one knows her name. No one knows what she looks like. She's practically a ghost."

"No one knows her name?"

"Garrick probably does, but he just calls her 'My Jewel'."

"Why?" Din shouldn't have questioned it. No one here knew his name or face, he didn't even know his own tribe's faces. But someone like Garrick, who's presentation meant everything to him? He was the type that would flaunt a wife as lavish as the Mistress seemed to be. Garrick would want the galaxy to know his wife spent fortunes on wardrobes and crowns and jewels purely to flaunt that he could afford her.

"Jeca says its because married women on Llanic all do this, but… I've only seen a couple of women outside these walls that veil themselves. Maybe the rule only applies to certain women. I dunno, I'm not from here. I do know that some of her more… interesting outfits she wears aren't her choice. Garrick tells her what to wear if there's something important going on. I can guarantee you when Kaltho shows up tomorrow, she's going to be wearing something wild."